Apple removes Skype from its application store in China after government request

Apple said on Tuesday that it had removed several applications, including the Skype and Skype messaging service from Microsoft’s application store in China, after the country’s government pointed out violations of local laws. “We were notified by the Ministry of Public Security that a number of voice over Internet protocol applications do not comply with local law, so these applications have been removed from the App Store in China,” an Apple spokeswoman said. The removal of applications has led to complaints from several Chinese users who failed to pay for Skype’s services through Apple, the New York Times reported, adding that the outage began in October. Skype joins the list of internet platforms inaccessible to users in China, which already includes the services of: Google (Alphabet); Facebook; Twitter. In recent years, Beijing has set out a series of laws and regulations that have raised concerns of foreign companies trying to expand their user base in the Asian giant. Last year, the Chinese government regulated online publishing to control the Internet, perceiving the Internet as a crucial domain to control public opinion and eliminate sentiment against the government. Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comments.